Am I Not a Writer?—A Workshop for All Genres

The solution to the hidden question behind nearly every question posed to writing conference faculty—”Can I be a writer?”—has little to do with talent or teaching, and much to do with training and practice. This workshop will be a clarifying inquiry into what it would take for each of us to actually write. Specifically, there is an outer, an inner, and a secret practice, and all three need to be in place. Through examples, exercises, and conversation, we will explore the three practices, why they are necessary, and examine our relationship to each. This weekend is for anyone inspired to get real about their life as a writer. Maybe you’ve been at this a while—perhaps you did an M.F.A. program—but have yet to get traction. Maybe you’re a newcomer, curious about what you’re getting into. Since writing is hard, we will be very friendly.

Diana Goetsch is the author of three full-length collections of poems—most recently Nameless Boy (Orchises Press, 2015)—and four prizewinning chapbooks. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, The Gettysburg Review, The Iowa Review,andBest American Poetry. Her essays and nonfiction pieces have appeared in Utne Reader, Fourth Genre, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. From 2015-16 she wrote “Life in Transition,” a weekly column at The American Scholar online. Among her honors are fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Donald Murray Prize for writing pedagogy, and a Pushcart Prize.